December 2- check in (only 23 days until Christmas)

Went Christmas shopping with mom today. Found some great gifts (esp. for my niece, miss m). Even found some bonus gifts for little p:) We draw names in our family and I was able to buy my secret santa a gift today, too!

Iam sometimes the last to know about cool things on the internet. DH told me about www.pandora.com We have each created our own radio stations with our favorite artists. Yesterday I created a Christmas radio station. I was already getting tired of listening to the all day Holiday stations on the radio (with all their commercials and way to jazzy renditions of Silent Night... you may know what I mean; although you might also like that kind of Christmas music:) So I now have my own Christmas radio station. And I can add songs or artists or even genres (be forewarned that if you add Christmas Traditional you will get a lot of older (i mean medieval) music in Latin...not that that's bad, it was just surprising when I really just wanted a decent version of "God Rest Ye Merry Gentleman"... I do like some of that medieval latin Christmas music!) Anyway, go make your own commercial free radio station:)

We had a lovely Thanksgiving that lasted for about a week. We can never do things simply, we always have to extend everything to the bitter end. Sunday night was Thanksgiving at my aunt and uncle's because they are now in Austria for vacation. Wednesday night was a spaghetti (or, if you are little p, scabetti) dinner at my parent's home to meet our long lost cousing mike (we didn't even know that we had a cousin mike... he lives in kentucky). Thursday was Thanksgiving as it is meant to be. Friday I spent the day with my children at my parent's home. DH was working (although he drove to work and came directly to my parent's after work), my mom also was working but was sent home early. My brother and sister in law came over (they went to her family for Thanksgiving Day). Saturday we met my parents and my sister and her children in downtown P-Town for some window shopping and lunch. We separated from the group and went to Powell's to look at books with the kids. Then headed to Next Adventure to check out their used camping gear and scored a used lantern that uses white gasoline rather than propane (we are doing away with all propane camping gear- we have my parents old stove and DH has his new backpacking stove). It was $15 and looks brand new and came in a sturdy plastic case! Sunday we went to church and then came home and then went to my parents home because we had left one car over there (when DH drove over after work on Friday). We ended up making some more scabetti with marinara sauce for dinner.

Did I already tell you to create your own Christmas radio station? Go Do It Now! I am listening to it as I type this and I love it!!!

To do this week:
Work Wed, and Fri.
4 loaves prosphora for church
St Nicholas gingerbread cookies on Thursday for the school.
Moms and Tots on Thursday.
Wedding of my god-sister on Friday evening at Holy Trinity.
Saturday morning- hierarchical (sp) liturgy at St. Nicholas.
Dr. appt. Wed. for Big P (this is a big appt. with the neurodevelopmental physician- we meet every six months and review his progress and this time we have made some great big huge progress!).

Would like to do:
clean the carpets (with carpet cleaner)... HA- don't think this will get done this week!
finish Christmas shopping (I am almost done)

What do you have to do this week? What would you like to do this week?

Being Dad for an Evening... (and meal plan for the week)

Last night I was my mom's date to a fundraiser dinner for Camp Angelos(which I attended as a camper the first year they had the camp and I was a counselor their for a few years, too.. we also have our annual Men's retreat (obviously, I don't attend that) there and we have had our marriage retreat at the lodge... it's a very beautiful, peaceful place to be and I have many wonderful memories from my childhood of this place). Every person present receives a ticket for a drawing. Top prize= $1000. 2nd prize= $500 and then there were various other prizes. A little background- my dad is in Greece and so I went in his place. My dad ALWAYS wins raffles. I don't know why but he is always coming home from fundraisers like this with some sort of prize (even something small like a bottle of wine). He just always wins. And me? The person he took his place at the dinner? I won! I won $500! I couldn't believe it! And what a great time to win some extra cash- right before the holidays when I am trying to budget gifts (even little gifts) for god-children, family, friends- you know, nothing really fancy, just a few nice things. And now I know how I will pay for it AND have some left over (mom made me promise to take $100 and spend it on myself- how does one do that? Spend money on oneself? I'm not sure I remember how!).

Meal Plan: It's the week of the lamb- as in, we received over the weekend the lamb we bought at the monastery fundraiser dinner in September (we are splitting the whole lamb with my parents). Just in time for the fast to begin on Saturday!!! DH is very excited to have lamb this week. So here are our lamb themed meals (I hope I don't have too many leftovers:)

Sunday: ok, no lamb. Leftover lasagna for men, I went to the dinner with my mom:)

Monday: Crock pot lamb shoulder roast cooked with onions, garlic, tomatoes, and wine served with rice (it's a Greek recipe I have adapted for the crock pot).

Tuesday: Gouvroulakia- my all time favorite food!!! Greek meatball soup with potatoes and egg lemon sauce (made with ground lamb) with salad.

Wednesday: Vegetable soup

Thursday: leftovers

Friday: Black beans, salsa, tortillas, etc.

Saturday: We always eat fish on Saturdays so salmon with potatoes and salad

I have to make some Vegan Brownies and Lenten Apple Cake for Sunday- there is going to be a going away get together to say goodbye to Pavlos' nouno and nouna (although I don't think his nouno will be there as he is already in New Jersey) and their children. (nouno=godfather and nouna=godmother BTW).

All Saints...

Our trip to the Pumpkin Patch and Archangels Gabriel (aka Big P) and Michael (aka little p). Don't they look angelic? My favorite part was we videotape all the children and ask them to tell us about what saint they are and a little bit about the saint. little p managed to say, "I Michael" and that was about it. Pretty good for 2. Big P talked a bit about Archangel Gabriel (he flies and he's God's messenger, etc.) and then, at the end of his video time he let out an extremely loud burp! Now, I know that he can't make himself burp but this could have been controlled better. Even better than the burp? They played the video at the end of the party and everyone got to hear Big P's burp. A lot of laughs...